Dr. Kakkis joined BioMarin in September 1998 and currently serves as chief medical officer. Together with his colleague Elizabeth F. Neufeld, Ph.D., of the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), Dr. Kakkis discovered how to produce a recombinant form of alpha-L-iduronidase (later to become known as Aldurazyme� [laronidase]), the enzyme which people with mucopolysaccharidosis I (MPS I) are lacking. Prior to BioMarin, Dr. Kakkis was an assistant professor at the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Division of Genetics, Department of Pediatrics. From 1991 to 1994, he was a fellow at the UCLA Intercampus Medical Genetics training program after having conducted his pediatric residency at the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. Dr. Kakkis is the author of numerous published articles and abstracts on MPS I and alpha-L-iduronidase. He holds an M.D. and a Ph.D. in biological chemistry from the medical scientist training program at the UCLA School of Medicine. He is board-certified in pediatrics and medical genetics. |